


Sleep Conditioning

by komorebirei



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, LadyNoir - Freeform, adrienette - Freeform, naps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27232672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komorebirei/pseuds/komorebirei
Summary: Ladybug needs to sleep more, so Chat Noir takes it upon himself to make sure she does. Fortunately, singing her to sleep seems to work very well. Too well, he finds, when the side effects of sleep conditioning bleed into civilian life.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 40
Kudos: 671





	Sleep Conditioning

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for the [ML Pandemic Relief Zine](https://mlpandemicreliefzine.tumblr.com/).

“My Lady.” Chat Noir caught Ladybug’s arm before she could leap off the rooftop.

“Yes, Chaton?” Ladybug turned with a pinch too much enthusiasm, wired from her sleep-deprived adrenaline rush.

“You. Need. A. Nap.” Chat glared at her.

“I’m fine!” Ladybug gently retracted her arm and drew back her yo-yo hand again to throw.

“Please,” Chat urged. “You said you didn’t sleep at all last night. That isn’t healthy.”

“I’ll sleep tonight!” Ladybug insisted.

Chat appeared to consider.

“… Eventually,” Ladybug mumbled.

_ “Ladybug!”  _ Chat scolded, eyes narrowing in displeasure. “Just take a ten minute nap. We’re not  _ actually  _ obligated to patrol right now, remember? Paris was fine for a whole year without us patrolling, so don’t pretend you’re bound by duty not to sleep.”

Ladybug sighed heavily. “Fine,” she grumbled. “Just for ten minutes.”

“I don’t know why you have to protest so much,” Chat groused. “Come on, get over here.” He beckoned her over to a nook on the rooftop where they were currently standing.

“Wait, you meant  _ right now?  _ And  _ here?”  _ Ladybug asked incredulously.

Chat shrugged. “Why not? It’s hidden well enough.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes, still reluctant to accept Chat’s suggestion.

“I’ll warm it up for you, Buguinette.” Chat sat with his back propped against the low wall and opened his arms invitingly for Ladybug.

She pushed his arm back against his side and took a seat next to him, her back pressing into the concrete. “This isn’t very comfortable.”

“You shouldn’t have rejected my arm, my Lady.”

“… Fine.” With a scowl, Ladybug lifted her back from the wall and let him put his arm behind her as he had originally intended.

“Better?” Chat grinned.

“I guess,” Ladybug admitted. “Don’t be so smug. Plus, I’m not sleepy at all.”

“Oh, yeah? Let’s see how long you last,” Chat taunted, pulling her closer.

Ladybug let her head droop onto his shoulder. “If I really wanted to take a nap, I’d rather go home, detransform, and do it in my bed,” she muttered.

“If I let you go, I wouldn’t trust that you were actually sleeping,” Chat said in a low tone. “Anyway, I’ve got you here now, so let’s make the best of it. Close your eyes, Buguinette.”

“I’ll close them when I’m sleepy.”

“Tsk, tsk, such a stubborn one,” Chat sighed. “All right, you leave me with no choice.”

“No choice?”

Rather than answer, Chat began to sing softly. Ladybug didn’t think she recognized the tune, but after a couple bars, she realized it was  _ Mistral Gagnant _ by Renaud, one of her father’s old favorites. The familiarity made her smile, but she didn’t say anything about it.

“Think you can really sing me to sleep,  _ Chaton?” _ she asked testily. “You’re like a living romantic cliché.”

Chat interrupted his song to point out, “Well, it’s working, isn’t it? Your eyes are closed.” Without waiting for her response, he continued to sing.

_ Ah, _ Ladybug thought.  _ So they are. _ He had a nice voice, and she was so comfortable, she no longer felt the need to fight the onslaught of slumber.

He hadn’t gotten to the second verse before she was out.

—

Rooftop naps became a regular thing.

Even though she’d probably fall asleep the moment her eyes closed regardless of the circumstances, Chat Noir latched onto the fact that his ‘lullaby’ had worked and took to singing her to sleep every time now.

Ladybug learned that not only did he know a wide range of songs, but he had a versatile voice and could make anything sound good—from musical numbers and rock songs to even hummed renditions of video game music _. _

It didn’t take long for Ladybug to stop protesting against his attempts to make her nap, if only to have an excuse to hear him sing again. There was no way she was about to  _ tell  _ him she’d fallen in love with his voice.

—

Alya and Nino were wrapped up in their own conversation on the far side of the bench facing the Seine, while Adrien gesticulated excitedly for his one-person captive audience, in the middle of explaining something about the theory of relativity.

“… and I just think it’s  _ so awesome _ because when you zoom out in terms of scale, Newtonian physics completely breaks down. That’s crazy, because…”

Marinette glued her eyes to Adrien’s lips like a drowning person watching a lifesaver bob just out of reach and struggled to keep her eyelids from drooping. Adrien was just  _ so excited  _ about the physics book he was reading, and she  _ wanted  _ to seem interested.

It wasn’t even that she found the topic boring, but his voice was so soothing, she could not stay awake. She couldn’t fathom  _ why, _ though, since she was actually well-rested for once. “Uh huh,” she mumbled, hoping the air passing through her vocal cords would help wake her up.

“… ‘twin paradox,’ where—I’m sorry, did you say something?”

Marinette blinked dazedly and straightened, realizing that Adrien was asking her a question. “What?”

Adrien’s eyebrows pulled down as he frowned. “Am I boring you, Marinette? I’m so sorry, I got carried away.”

“No, no, I’m not bored! Just, uh, tired.” Marinette rubbed her eyes, still feeling indolent heaviness trying to drag her sluggish brain into a state of unconsciousness. “Go on.”

“I don’t want to force you to listen to me if you’re not interested,” Adrien said, unable to hide a note of hurt.

“It’s not that at all,” Marinette reassured, an involuntary yawn chasing the words. “Umm, I really do want to hear about, uhh—” She struggled to remember what he was talking about.  _ “Relativity!  _ Yeah, that. Just don’t mind me if I happen to close my eyes. I promise I’m still listening!”

“No, it’s fine.” Adrien rubbed his neck self-consciously. “Sorry, I’ll stop rambling. It’s just—reading about all this really makes me want to study physics seriously and, I don’t know, become a physicist or something. I had no idea there was so much about the universe that we still don’t understand. I mean, a lot of this is just theory and math, because there’s no way we can  _ actually  _ travel so close to the speed of light or go into a black hole, but it’s so mind-blowing, I’d  _ love  _ to— _ WHOA!” _

Marinette’s head dipped abruptly, and only Adrien’s sharply honed reflexes kept her from face-planting into the ground.

Somehow, catching her didn’t wake her up. Following a moment of hesitation, Adrien eased her into a horizontal position across his lap, trying not to be offended that she’d flat-out  _ fallen asleep _ on him.

“What happened to Marinette?” Nino interjected, lowering the headphone set he had been sharing with Alya.

“She fell asleep,” Adrien shrugged. “I guess I  _ was  _ talking her ear off. Did she not get much sleep last night?” He looked at Alya, expecting her to know.

Alya shrugged. “We didn’t have much homework last night, and she didn’t mention any projects. Oh! Speaking of projects—” Alya got to her feet. “I need to visit the Louvre real quick. They gave me permission to publish my photos and footage on the Ladyblog, can you believe it?! I just need to sign a form.”

“That’s great, Alya!” Adrien cheered, though he felt a wave of uneasiness at the idea that her speculations might strike too close to the truth again and give Hawkmoth hints he didn’t need. “Just—don’t forget that Hawkmoth has internet access too, okay?”

“Everything I upload is just a  _ theory,  _ Buttercup, it’s not like I’m giving him any actual information,” Alya chided. “Anyway, I don’t have much time, so—toodles! Coming, Nino?”

“‘Course, Babe.” Nino shouldered his bag and put an arm around Alya’s shoulders.

Alya winked at Adrien over her shoulder as they walked away.

Adrien was left on the riverside bench with Marinette lying across his legs. With no more distractions, his eyes were drawn to her. He took in the soft curve of her cheek, her long eyelashes, and the slightly bluish sheen of her dark hair under direct sunlight.

His hands suddenly felt awkward at his sides, palms pressed into the concrete of the bench. He lifted them and brushed the gravel off his palms, then ever-so-slowly laid them on Marinette’s back. He resisted the urge to stroke her hair as if she were a lapcat.

Her back rose and fell gently and steadily under his hands.

Should he wake her up? He felt bad that she was so tired. Maybe it would be okay if he just let her sleep for a bit.

His phone was in his pocket, and there was no way to check the time to find out when they had to get back to school. It should be fine for now, since Alya and Nino still needed to make it all the way to the Louvre and back before class. In theory, there was time to spare.

Marinette stirred, causing Adrien to jolt slightly in alarm.

“Why’d you stop singing, Chaton?” she mumbled blearily.

_ Chaton? _ The hairs on the back of Adrien’s neck stood up. “Singing? I-I wasn’t singing,” he said, tongue feeling thick and heavy in his mouth as his mind reeled to understand why these words were coming out of her mouth. It would have made sense for  _ Ladybug  _ to say those words. He’d been putting her to sleep with his singing for weeks, and now and then, when he stopped too early, she’d half-wake and say those exact words.

However, this wasn’t Ladybug, this was  _ Marinette. _

Marinette turned and nuzzled her face into Adrien’s stomach, causing an unexpected tingle to radiate from that spot throughout the rest of his body.

Then she froze for several seconds before lifting a hand and burying her fingers in the fabric of his shirt. “You’re not…”

With a gasp, she sat upright in a panic, narrowly missing clocking him in the chin with her head on the way.

“Uh—I’m not what? Or… who?” Adrien’s heart hammered at the thought of what he  _ might  _ have just discovered.

“Nothing!” Marinette answered hastily in a shrill tone. “I didn’t say anything. I just thought—I mean, of course it’s you, Adrien!”

“Did you… think I was someone else?” Adrien ventured, anticipation and hope clawing at his chest.

“No! I mean yes. That is—no! Wait, what did you hear exactly?” Marinette buried her face in her hands.

Adrien swallowed. He figured honesty was the best policy, especially if this conversation was going to end up going the direction he anticipated. “You asked why I stopped singing… and you called me ‘Chaton.’”

“So you heard all that,” Marinette moaned against her palms.

Meaning, he hadn’t misheard. And there was only  _ one  _ sensible explanation: she was Ladybug. It felt too good to be true, yet he couldn’t say he was surprised. His chest swelled with giddy excitement.

“Yeah, but it’s okay!” he rushed to reassure her, fighting back a goofy smile. Knowing Ladybug— _ and  _ Marinette—she’d have a full-blown freak-out over him discovering her identity. “Nothing to panic about. I mean, it’s not like anyone else heard you or anything. It’s only the two of us here—Alya and Nino left.”

Marinette tentatively removed her hands from her face and looked around, confirming that there was no one else within earshot. “I—yeah, I guess there’s no point in hiding that Chat Noir and I are, um. Friends.” Her cheeks colored.

“Friends?!” Adrien almost burst out laughing at her obvious attempt to explain her slip without revealing her identity. He hadn’t even considered that loophole. It might have worked with anyone else, but he knew better, of course. “It’s okay, Buguinette,” he said through a grin. “I  _ know.” _

“Wait—” Marinette’s eyes widened.  _ “What did you call me?!” _

“Buguinette,” Adrien answered with a hint of a smirk. “My lady, Princess, _ ma coccinelle…” _

Marinette’s jaw dropped and she pointed at him wordlessly.

A thought occurred to Adrien, and his eyes brightened further. “Hold on, do you really find my voice  _ that  _ soothing?”

“You’re Chat Noir!” Marinette squeaked, an octave higher than usual.

Adrien leaned in, still smirking. “Shh, Princess, do you want all of Paris to hear?”

“How are you so cool about all this?!” Marinette demanded.

Adrien laughed. “I mean, I’ve suspected it was you before, so I’m not all that shocked, to be honest. Just happy.”

“I knew it was a bad idea to take naps on patrol!” Marinette fretted, looking overwhelmed.

“Oh, please,  _ Buguinette, _ you needed the extra sleep. Besides, how could you have predicted this would happen?” Adrien smiled sheepishly. “We’ll be okay, my Lady.”

“How do you know?” The tension in Marinette’s voice was still high. “What if one of us gets akumatized and Hawkmoth—”

“Marinette.” Adrien’s hands closed around hers.

Marinette stilled. “Yes?”

“Calm down. We’ll be okay.” He tugged on her hands in a silent suggestion.

Marinette gave in, leaning forward. Adrien let go of her hands and pulled her into a hug. She felt her muscles begin to relax as she reciprocated, looping her arms around his waist.

Adrien began to hum a few notes, but before he could get far enough for the melody to be recognizable, Marinette interrupted.

“No, no, not again!” she huffed, but didn’t pull away from the hug. “It was like you had me hypnotized, honestly! I don’t want to fall asleep every time you talk to me! No more singing, ever.”

“Ever?” Adrien pouted.

“No more singing me  _ to sleep, _ ” Marinette amended.

“But this is actually a cool power,” Adrien argued cheerfully. “I’m like Jigglypuff from Pokémon! Except it only works on you.”

“But what if I actually want to  _ hear you sing  _ instead of falling asleep?” Marinette retorted.

“You actually  _ like  _ my singing?”

Marinette scowled and, feeling calmer, pulled away to see his face. The scowl dissolved as soon as she saw his expression, hopeful and full of adoration—one-hundred-percent sweet Adrien.

“Of course—I love your voice,” she confessed, feeling her cheeks heat up.

A moment later, it occurred to her that “I love you” was only six letters fewer, and the idea of telling him someday didn’t seem like such an impossible feat anymore.

“I love  _ you,”  _ Adrien breathed, full of sincerity, and Marinette’s bliss mixed with a subtle envy that he never had a problem saying exactly what he meant.

“Love you too,  _ Chaton,” _ she said in a light tone, flashing him a smile before ducking to hide her surely-flushed face. She meant it, and wanted him to know that, but it wasn’t a confession yet. For now, she hid behind the pretense that she didn’t mean it  _ like that. _ Someday, she would tell him how she really felt, but not today. “Anyway, we have to get back to class.”

Adrien stood first and held out a hand to help her up. And if he forgot to let go, she wasn’t about to remind him.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoyed the fic.
> 
> I'm sorry I've been MIA lately. There are a couple things upcoming that I'm working on and will be posting soon (an MLB for BLM love-square commission, and the last two chapters of Quantum Entangled), but I'm mostly focusing on other non-ML-fandom things lately.
> 
> Take care, everyone!


End file.
